The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-07-01
THE BATTLE FLAGS.
jeff Davis Writes a Letter Regarding
These Trophies of War.

baltimore, June 30-The Sun has the
following letter from Jefferson Davis in ref
erence to the return of Southern battle
flags:
IF the object now be to unite the people
of the North and South as brothers in union.
as means to that end every sign of past
conflict should. as far as practicable, be OBJ
liberated To retain as point of pride a
nag captured in battle by either the Union
to renewed exaltation of triumph by one or
the other and surely not step toward the
restoration of peace. The flags captured
from foreign enemy may be retained as
trophies after peace, but here cessation of
hostillties is not pretended to be equivalent
to fraternization. l have heard of various
instances in which Southern soldiers, having
retained flags captured in battle, did, after
war, send them back to the organization
from which they were captured, and l have
neard no instance when trophies have been
displayed at a reunion of Southern
soldiers to manifest their success in
battle over their Northern brethren.
Our men fought fora principle, and that they
nave not surrendered, but rather shopelessly
lived to see the good sense of Northerners
return to the teachings of their sires and re-
establish the government according to the
Constitution on which it was founded. That
Is the only victory which would be to them
and their children a thing to be priced and
lnent evacuated Richmond, many flags cap
tured in battle were deposited in the war Of
nee in Richmond. So far as | know they
were all left there and found by the United
States troops when they entered the city,
This would at least, exhibit proof of the
fact that the South did not wish to treasure
up such evidence ofsany triumphs it.ever mad
over the North. When Washington received
the surrender of CORVALLIS at Yorktown he
required the British colors to be delivered to
MN IN cases. The United States Govern
ment presented these flags to Gen. Washing
ton, and he left them to George
Washington Parke Gusts, by whom they
were entrusted to me whom / was Secretary
OF War, and left in the War Office at Wash
ington. Though these were foreign flags
and signs of memorable occasion the United
States government did not deem them of suf-
ficient Importance to be exhibited astrophies
OF victory over former enemy, but pre-
Sented them to the soldier to whom they had.
been surrendered. The South has~mani-
tested no desire to have Possession of flags
iose IN Dattle. Tbe..ss value departed when
tnty were Surrendered and the excitement
Wnlch has been created over proposition to
return both to the North and South
flags that they had lost in battle
seems very like tempest in a teapot.
whether they should lie and be consumed
by moths in boxes of the United States war
once. or be returned to their former owners
restoration would be declaration such as
the OLD Romans made. that there should be
no Triumph for victory won in civil war. So
Iar as IT should express a feeling of restored
fraternity, 1t would be an advance toward
that condition which all reasonable men will
recognize rs desirable among those who are
to live together.